Got-To-Have-It Fever

AGREED!  Weavers making the Black Diamond it's sister.  

There is an unexplored niche in toy trains, and it is replicating the streamlined-steam era trains of the relatively less known railroads like the NYO&W, the Long Island, the Lehigh Valley, the Erie, the Lackawanna, the Boston & Maine, the Boston & Albany, the Monon, etc. in the more affordable product lines such MTH Rail King.

 

It appears to me that the basic products are already available to replicate such trains as the Lehigh Valley's John Wilkes K5. Here's my thoughts:

> The Lehigh's K5 is a 4-6-2, so the running gear exists in Rail King Imperial size;

> The tender looks like the die cast one in use with Rail King NYC Hudson;

> As for coaches, Rugged Rails 027 heavy weights will suffice.

> So except for the locomotive body, existing trains with a John Wilkes paint job would get my dollars. The locomotive body definitely needs to be a new make item.

 

 

Weaver made the John Wilkes and matching cars some years ago. Occasionally you'll see them around, but not too often.

Very nice looking 4-6-2 there. 

My favorite 4-6-2 that I have not seen reproduced was the Frisco Lines "Firefly"

Sure would like nice running around the layout!

Here's an artist rendering of the Black Diamond Express that I stumbled across.  Would have been something to see the real thing in person.

 

 

 

Wow...I have never seen that before.  Very cool looking.

I am normally just a Lionel man, but if MTH made this for a decent price, it would be on my layout.

Good thing this conference call I'm waiting for keeps getting delayed, I think this is a better photo of the John Wilkes LV train.....very sharp looking indeed

 

GOTTA HAVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's another Gotta Have It

Southern Railway Streamlined Pacific

Now I really don't care for most of the Streamlined steamers, but that Frisco engine has something about it that calls to me.

Here's my all-time favorite.  If they make it, I'll buy it

I think the Bobby Oguage has it right.  Most of the tooling exists, just need to do the body castings

Weaver did the John Wilkes several years ago in brass. MTH made a set of Madison style cars painted to match. Here's a shot of the combination. I converted this unit to PS/2 and it runs great.

 

 

MTH did a sort-of John Wilkes paint scheme on a Rail King Imperial Hiawatha body. Not a great likeness, but painted to go with the cars. I used the sound file from it for the DCS upgrade on my Weaver engine. They also made a set of Rail King Madison cars in the correct John Wilkes paint scheme, and a set of streamliners that goes with the Wilkes Hiawatha. Just look for Rail King Lehigh Valley passenger cars in the product finder.

 

Industrial designer Otto Kuhler was responsible for the John Wilkes, the Southern Ry. streamlined Pacific, and the Hiawatha 4-6-4. 

3rd Rail announced the Frisco Firefly a number of years ago, but as I recall, there were not enough pre-orders and it was cancelled.

 

 

Steam Power Bullet Train ?

Weaver is awaiting delivery on the LV Black Diamond.  I reserved one back in Sept 2011, and am still waiting for mine.  Although the John Wilkes is a sister engine, as was the Asa Packer, I prefer the Black Diamond for what may appear to be an obvious reason, COAL.  Model will be in brass, and relatively expensive.  They keep saying anytime now.

Boy, those are slick!

.....

Dennis

Weaver made quite a few of these in the mid-1990's. The John Wilkes; the Southern Railway's Tennessean, the B&O Cincinnatian; the Reading Crusader (with the really neat passenger cars); PRR Torpedo, and the the UP 49er. More recently, Weaver did the New Haven I-5. And I'm not counting the Dreyfus Hudson or Southern Pacific Daylight, which are more common.

 

I have the first 4 listed above, all converted to PS2. They are great engines. I had put a deposit on Weaver's first batch of I-5 engines and canceled at about the 2 year mark when it wasn't in and MTH put a premier version in a catalog. MTH canceled their premier I-5 because of lack of orders. I spoke to Mike Wolf, who basically swore off doing streamlined steamers in the premier line. I think they are great, but apparently there just isn't a big enough market.

 

We need someone like Paul Strickland to put together a group of people who are committed (that means putting down non-refundable money, which was common in the mid-1990's) to buying a specific steamer and then going to a manufacturer (my choice would be MTH) and getting them to make it. But I'm sure it would take a lot of people.

 

Good luck Bobby Ogage.

 

Gerry

If you don't want to hold your breath and you dont mind some compromises you could find a Pre war O gauge American Flyer Royal Blue and repaint it. That engine does have the Pointed bullet nose look of a few of these engines. I see a repaint as being more likely and in the spirit of the toy train companies of the past. After all that how we ended up with EP5 Jets in Milwaukee Road colors.

I got over this type of fever when LIONEL made that $2200 centipede. Beautiful engine, but the horror of that price.

 

However running my newest WILLIAMS $99 engine cured me.

 

Rod

I asked Weaver if they will be making the passenger cars and this was their response, "This is something we are currently working on. If we do the passenger cars,
it will be announced on our web site."

 

I am not holding my breath